COMPANY NEWS

Woolooware Bay Town Centre a winning play

For almost 50 years members of the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks have prided themselves on their teamwork.

It is fitting that the club’s bold move to transform itself through a partnership to develop a new waterfront destination and sports stadium in Sutherland Shire involves a true team effort.

Woolooware Bay Town Centre, which when complete will create a vibrant new hub for the shire, has seen the Sharks join forces with developer Bluestone and construction company Parkview, while Coates Hire is playing a major role in providing services and equipment for the project.

“It’s going to provide a new pulse and heartbeat for the shire,” says Lyall Gorman, Group Chief Executive Officer of the Sharks.

Stage one involves the construction of about 220 apartments, stage two is set to deliver a further 178 units, while the blueprint will also comprise a retail precinct, foreshore parklands and a new stadium and leagues club on land owned by the Cronulla-Sutherland Leagues Club.

Gorman says committing to the project financially is part of a plan to ensure the long-term sustainability and viability of the leagues club.

“It will at the end of the day ensure that this club has a very special future.”

“They’re essentially a one-stop shop for us,” says Andrew Danza, Construction Manager at Parkview. “They look after all of our needs as well as being easy to communicate with.”

He says for such a large, complex project it is crucial to have the backing of a trusted supplier of services and products.

“The partnership (with Coates Hire) is fantastic,” Danza says. “They’re a professional outfit and we are as well… They provide all our needs for hire and we work well together. The longevity of the relationship will be around for quite a while.”

As Business Development Manager — Construction Civil at Coates Hire Kerry McIntyre is one of the company’s key contacts with Parkview.

He says in addition to providing a vast range of hire equipment, Coates Hire will be involved in any dewatering of the development site — a former mangrove site — in preparation for stages two and three of Woolooware Bay. “It’s challenging and it’s a matter of keeping the water away while they excavate and do what they need to do,” says McIntyre, who cites the dewatering task as just one of many for Coates Hire that is designed to alleviate headaches for its partners. “Taking the pain away — that’s what we do.”

In addition to residential facilities, Woolooware Bay will provide a new stadium for the Cronulla Sharks team, while redevelopment of Sharkies leagues club will create a modern club boasting dining and recreational amenities and function rooms.

Apart from its key project hiring role, Coates Hire is directly helping the Sharks’ rugby league team, in the form of a multi-year sponsorship deal which will put the company’s logo on the backs of the Cronulla jerseys for at least the 2015—17 rugby league seasons.

Gorman says Coates Hire’s support as a sponsor cannot be underestimated. As a part of his focus on taking the Sharks brand to new levels Gorman was looking for a sponsor whose values meshed with the team’s.

“Importantly, it needed to be the right sponsor and for us that is an alignment of brand, values, vision and culture,” he says, “and that’s what the really special part of the relationship with Coates Hire is — we’re both very focused on being a community asset, making a difference to the areas in which we operate and being a genuine contributor to social impact and betterment.”

With the Sharks having enjoyed a successful NRL season in 2015, making the semi-finals, Gorman is confident Woolooware Bay will help contribute to impressive off-field results, too.

“Our fans love that,” Gorman says. “They understand what it means to the